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Serious boat crashes spark warning

3 Jan, 2012 2:15pm

3 minutes to read

Towing an inflatable ring wit a boat can be a lot of fun, but boaties are being warned they need to know the traffic rules so they were always in 'the best place at the right time'. File photo / Thinkstock

People being towed behind boats could also play a part by making themselves visible to other traffic on the water.

"Because you're bobbing in the water like a cork, it's quite hard to see if a boat's approaching.

"So whatever you've got - if you've got skis, a toboggan, a biscuit - you need to use that wherever possible as a means to identify yourself to any boats travelling towards you. Because often with the glare of the water, you can't be seen."

Police are still piecing together the circumstances behind the collision in which the Rotorua man died yesterday.

Detective Sergeant John Wilson of Rotorua police said the investigation, conducted with Maritime New Zealand assistance, was still in its early days.

The results would be passed to the coroner.

Taupo St John acting team manager Steve Lynch was reported as saying the man suffered major trauma to his head and neck and died at the scene, despite attempts to resuscitate him.

A second man, believed to be in his 40s, suffered minor injuries.

Mr Lynch said both boats involved in the incident had been towing biscuits when the crash occurred.

The death came just two hours after five people were injured in a boat crash on Lake Middleton, next to Lake Ohau.

Community Constable Bruce Dow of Oamaru police said one boat was pulling a sea biscuit and the other was being used for water-skiing when they collided.

Mr Dow said the young woman skiing behind one of the boats had tried to warn the driver about the imminent collision but was unable to be heard above the noise of the engine.

The two boats had met virtually head-on as both turned the same way to avoid the collision, he said.

A man in his 60s with a suspected broken leg and his three-year-old grandson, who suffered a head injury, were airlifted to Timaru Hospital.

A woman in her 40s suffered a suspected broken arm, a girl in her early teens suffered a knee injury and a boy in his teens had head and possible back injuries.